Comments on: Independent 7215 by Radian

By: Charybdis

Charybdis — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 16:17:01 +0000

As an occasional setter, I remember many years ago being rebuked by a crossword editor for committing the ‘Gateshead’ crime. I can’t remember the exact crime, something like indicating H by ‘hammerhead’ or something.
I remember being told that this was as unfair as indicating FI by ‘friends. This struck me at the time as overstating the case since FI=friends was so obviously absurd (though I took the point and don’t commit the Gateshead crime any more.)

The trouble is, to my mind ‘exploits’=PISTOL is equally absurd. Also it smacks of laziness or lack of imagination. If you can come up with a clue which everyone would consider fair why go for second best? It strikes me it would be fine for a thematic crossword where the rules are consistently outrageously broken (chuck in the execrable GESG for scrambled eggs etc while you’re at it).
But, then again, I suppose if the solvership reckons it’s OK, it IS OK – just as if a group of chessplayers decide you can have two consecutive moves that’s OK. Personally, I’m with Quixote and you can include me out.

By: jetdoc

jetdoc — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 17:46:17 +0000

Oops, sorry — PISTOL. Could have been PILOTS, though!

By: jetdoc

jetdoc — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 17:45:36 +0000

I think ‘ex’ is in the sense of ‘formerly’ — PILOTS was PLOITS before it was anagrammed. Seems fine to me, as long as not over-used — it was perfectly solvable.

By: walruss

walruss — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 16:24:50 +0000

Nor am I, but maybe ex is intended to be the same as out? If so this might be a mistake because out interpreted in an anagrind in Englsh is out as in inaccurate.

By: nmsindy

nmsindy — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 14:12:03 +0000

Re PISTOL, nmsindy belongs to the Ximenean school, but Eimi has said he’s not absolutely always strictly Ximenean. The feature where exploits parts are run together is the main non-Xim feature that very occasionally appears, favoured by one or two of the setters in the Indy stable. While not a regular Guardian solver I think it comes from there, and is mentioned by the Guardian crossword editor in his ‘Secrets of the Setters’ book, the classic instance is ‘indeed’ as ‘in deed’. Re the second point – use of ex as an anagram indicator, not so sure there is much wrong with that in the sense (could be got) ‘out of’. Can’t see too much wrong with the French Revolution clue, either. But I’m no expert on all this, really, and weak on the finer points of grammar.

By: walruss

walruss — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 13:28:37 +0000

Quixote should not put full stops after his exclamation marks. Also I think he shouts a bit too loud about this puzzle actually, although as I mentioned I found it very hard!

By: Peter

Peter — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 12:09:57 +0000

El? (3,6,10) – The French Revolution springs to mind

By: Peter

Peter — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 12:08:46 +0000

I thought this was great. Long live the difficult crossword on a Monday. And long live the Independent crossword generally. It’s been superb recently. Eimi, you’re doing a great job, and knowing it’s on the lowest financial resources makes it even greater. And I’m in the camp that appreciates the odd rule breaker like 15ac. Sorry, Quixote.

By: Quixote

Quixote — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 11:30:57 +0000

I am disappointed that no one at all has backed me up on my criticism of the PISTOL clue. I also worry that the label ‘Ximenean’ gets used as a sort of shorthand to squash an argument that must have come from some boring old fart from the dark ages who doesn’t understand that crosswords ‘have moved on’ — fiddlesticks!. To claim ‘ex’ as an anagram indicator is bad enough, but then to join it to the anagram fodder is simply awful. At least I am pleased that eimi, as a very decent crossword editor (if I may say so), had some initial misgivings!

By: Allan_C

Allan_C — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 07:32:03 +0000

Back again.

Just been looking through all the comments again. No-one seems to have picked up the connection between “pi” and “radian”. A radian is the angle of a semicircle divided by pi.